EYE Filmmuseum, solo

https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/programme/janis-rafa/1045238

The focus of work made by artist and filmmaker Janis Rafa is not on humans. Instead, she turns her non- anthropocentric eye on animals and landscapes. Rafa’s work is an ode to stray dogs, roadkill, animals in factory farming and victims of late capitalism that are rarely seen. She blends fiction with the mundane, highlighting structures of power, domination and control. the locations she chooses lie on the urban fringes and in decaying agricultural landscapes. among the ruins of these worlds, she explores themes such as affection for the non-human body and dealing with loss.

Rafa’s visual language is filmic and seductive. Her starting point is often a surprising combination of location, animals and the choreography of the camera. the most interesting moments arise, the artist says, when she relinquishes control within a defined frame work. Rarely does she use words to tell her stories, relying instead on the mise-en-scène and the camera work. Although her films are not explicitly activist in nature, they compel the viewer to reflect on subjects such as animal welfare and ecology. her latest works centre on the tension between the care for and exploitation of animals and landscapes. the exhibition title encapsulates mankind’s capricious attitude towards nature, as well as the underlying sense of melancholia evident throughout her oeuvre.

Moving image works form the core of the exhibition, which includes two brand-new video installations. In addition, Rafa has created steel sculptures and neon installations for Eye’s gallery space. [Text by Mariaan Cousijn @Eye Filmmuseum]